Rugby Team Wins First Playoff in WIU History

November 8, 2013

MACOMB, IL – The Western Illinois University Rugby Team has won its first playoff game in the team's 40-year history after defeating Marquette, 27-25, over the weekend.

The club team, advised by WIU Assistant Professor Mike Lukkarien, will compete in the final four of the WIIL rugby conference this weekend in Lemont, IL. The team takes on the third-ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, with the champion earning a bid to play at the USA Rugby Collegiate Championship.

For the last three years, the team has been led by Coach Peter Tarantola, a WIU graduate student.

The WIU Rugby Team meets on Vince Grady Field from 4-6 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.